Forensic Scientist Responsibilities
The forensic scientist is also known as a forensic technologist or a criminalist. He helps the police personnel and detectives to solve murders and other mystery cases. The forensic scientist responsibilities include recognizing the indications at a crime scene and studying and examining the same in order to decide their relation with the case. He deals with different types of indications that arise from a weapon and studies the signs of tool, bodily fluids, hair, grease, stains and glass.
He examines the law-breaking scene and tries recognizing the kind of weapon system used in the crime. He also studies the bullet scratches recovered at the crime area and thereafter, recognizes the instrument that was used to commit the crime. He also attempts towards figuring out the reasons for the clash and shooting and examines and observes the bullet directions and gunshot substances very carefully. He has the following key responsibilities that vary from case to case:
- Studying the marks at the scene of crime and deciding the type of weapons that caused them
- Examining the tool marks and excluding those that are not a part of the crime
- Studying and investigating the things that were found at the crime scene with the help of magnifying glasses and microscopes
- Relating things found at the crime scene with the crime that happened and identifying the features of the proof indications used in the case
- Examining the illustrations of different blood tissues, cells and bodily fluids to ascertain the DNA visibility of the same and matching the consequences with the information grounds of other illustrations
- Helping the police in nabbing the real criminals and freeing the ones who didn't commit the crime and were wrongfully implicated of the same
- Bearing witness to the jury and judge of the court in order to justify his work to them and detaching himself from the outcome of the case
- Taking a stand in the court without being biased and judgmental
- Working for the government authorities and researching criminal actions by grouping unprocessed information and hints from the scene of crime
- Utilizing different procedures like transcripting, evaluating and experimenting
- Rebuilding the crime scenes by utilizing non inheritable information to crack such cases
- Organizing reports settled on the implications of the particular case and the write-offs made by him
- Taking a stand in the court by supporting his case implications and examining different drug samples
- Implementing contemporary methods in order to get hold of the criminals and grouping and classifying the implications that are found in very small quantities
- Transcripting whatever has been found and grouping the hint implications in the crime scene
- Explaining his discoveries and other experimenting results of the laboratory in order to recognize and separate the substances and materials visible at the crime scene
- Conserving the material evidences and producing them in the court of law
- Consulting other experts regarding the kind and nature of the materials found at the crime scene and reaching certain conclusions
- Examining the blood type of the blood sample found at the crime scene and studying the noise structure of the same
- Studying the handwriting and names of the people at the crime scene and reaching conclusions based on them
- Pulling out information from computers as well as mobile phones and documenting various pieces based on them
- Entering information into computer programs and holding different tests to identify the criminals
- Counseling the police personnel on the detonatives and weapons used and studying information found at the crime scene and relating it to some events
- Coming up with new practical applications to be executed in the laboratories and participating in lab conferences in order to initiate some new forensic plans and programs
- Doing all the other work that falls under his territorial domain
Qualifications and Skills Required
The person who wants to shoulder the responsibilities of a forensic scientist should have a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry or forensic science. He can also earn a bachelor's degree in physics or a similar field. He also has to complete a 2 years formal training program that combines chemistry practicals with theory. The person must have sharp communication skills. He must be able to notice the minute details at the crime scene, which is possible only if he is very observant. Having good physics, chemistry and biology skills would be the best things that he could have to shine in this field. He should have the patience to investigate carefully and should be very focused. Working under pressure and limited time should be comfortable for him.
He should be knowledgeable about the latest forensic computer technologies and should not be colour blind. On top of all these, he should be a man who values honesty. The field of forensic science is extremely competitive and that's why it would be better to achieve a master's degree in forensic science or a similar field or even attain a doctorate in the same, as this would widen his job prospects and also ensure that he does very well in this field.
Working Conditions
A forensic scientist works mostly in a lab and handles many experiments there. He also works at crime scenes in unfavorable conditions. He generally works about 38 hours in a week and from Monday to Friday in a stressful environment where sometimes, he has to put in extra efforts to meet his targets.
Salary
A forensic scientist usually earns a salary of USD 27, 000 to USD 77, 000. This salary is his average salary for a year.
Thus, the forensic scientist responsibilities include assisting the police in cracking crime cases and analyzing the crime scene in order to recognize the evidences.
